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<p>In marine soft bottoms, even small changes in current velocity can alter the dynamics between a predator’s efficiency in detecting and handling prey, the prey’s ability to hide, and the disturbance of the habitat where these interactions occur. This study examined how flow velocity influences the interactions between small non-indigenous green crabs (<i>Carcinus maenas</i>) and juvenile hard clams (<i>Mercenaria mercenaria</i>). In a racetrack flume arena, individual crabs were allowed to forage on a hard clam patch for 2&#xa0;h under separate flow speeds of 5, 10, 15, or 20&#xa0;cm s⁻¹. Crab feeding rates, the rate of clam displacement from the sediment, and search time (the time taken to locate and handle a first clam) were quantified. Crab feeding rates declined linearly with the increase in flow − from 83% at 5&#xa0;cm s⁻¹ to 14% consumption at 20&#xa0;cm s⁻¹. The proportion of live clams displaced from the sediment (but not eaten) increased nearly linearly with flow. Lastly, search times increased from 5 to 15&#xa0;cm s⁻¹ but then declined with flow. These results show that flow speed can simultaneously constrain predator foraging and modify prey vulnerability by either enhancing or reducing exposure through bioturbation, highlighting the complex role of hydrodynamics as a modulator of benthic trophic interactions.</p>

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Flow Mediates the Outcome of Predator-Prey Interactions in a Marine Soft Bottom System

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年1月17日

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  • Diego Quintanilla-Ahumada,
  • Patricia A. Ramey-Balci,
  • Cristian Duarte,
  • Pedro A. Quijón

摘要

In marine soft bottoms, even small changes in current velocity can alter the dynamics between a predator’s efficiency in detecting and handling prey, the prey’s ability to hide, and the disturbance of the habitat where these interactions occur. This study examined how flow velocity influences the interactions between small non-indigenous green crabs (Carcinus maenas) and juvenile hard clams (Mercenaria mercenaria). In a racetrack flume arena, individual crabs were allowed to forage on a hard clam patch for 2 h under separate flow speeds of 5, 10, 15, or 20 cm s⁻¹. Crab feeding rates, the rate of clam displacement from the sediment, and search time (the time taken to locate and handle a first clam) were quantified. Crab feeding rates declined linearly with the increase in flow − from 83% at 5 cm s⁻¹ to 14% consumption at 20 cm s⁻¹. The proportion of live clams displaced from the sediment (but not eaten) increased nearly linearly with flow. Lastly, search times increased from 5 to 15 cm s⁻¹ but then declined with flow. These results show that flow speed can simultaneously constrain predator foraging and modify prey vulnerability by either enhancing or reducing exposure through bioturbation, highlighting the complex role of hydrodynamics as a modulator of benthic trophic interactions.